


Love of no Regrets

by AwkwardDuckProducktions



Series: Coma Sammy [2]
Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Background Character Death, Bittersweet Ending, Dementia, Dialogue Heavy, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 08:50:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14516811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwkwardDuckProducktions/pseuds/AwkwardDuckProducktions
Summary: Fuck it, might as well go through the playlist and pick songs.Lily and Herchel have a conversation





	Love of no Regrets

"Fuck you! You can't stop me from waiting here!" She shouted back at the security guards. They rolled their eyes and walked back inside. Lily sat in a huff on the bench. Her jacket barely blocking the chilling mountain winds. This is fine, she lied to herself. A cruel gust rushed passed her ears and for a moment she thought of going back to motel. But no, she can wait. She will wait.

____________________

He had never seen her before. Not until today. She had rushed into the waiting room demanding to see Sammy. The last one to leave too, in the arms of the guards. He watched the whole scene from his truck. When it looked like she wasn't leaving, he pulled away.

Against his better judgement and his doctor's wishes, Herchel went to Jack in the Box. Him and Cecil used to waste their allowance here in their teenage years. Used to drive to the lookout point to look at stars and eat fries. Cecil begged him not to join, that old bastard, saying it wasn't our fight. He doesn't want to lose his best friend. Herchel was shocked when the whimper escaped him. This was going to take some getting used to. He wiped his face hastily with his sleeve as he tried to about thoughts of him. His mind wandered back to the youngin at the hospital. Her screaming and her fists. "I'm not leaving him!" He was screaming those same words just a few weeks ago. She was far too young to be feeling that kind of pain. Hell, Sammy was too young to be feeling that. Herch, however, has lived. He experienced nearly everything. But the death of Cecil...  
God damn, he hasn't felt this way in decades.

He approached the counter. "Two plain burgers and three large fries. And two coffees."

_________________

He really didn't want to be heading back. He could have spent the rest of his life not in the road that leads to the hospital and been okay with that. But this, this was more than him.

The truck pulled back into the empty parking lot. Lily glared as the old man got out. He looked so broken in the waiting room and that hasn't really left in the hours that gone by. She tempted to tell him that they aren't excepting visitors until he veered towards her. One hand carried a paper bag and the other a... drink carrier? He walked up and sat down next to her. "It's going to get real cold real soon." He said.  
"No shit. That's what happens at night." Lily retorted, pulling her jacket tighter. He grabbed a coffee cup and passed it to her.  
"Take it." His voice seemed hoarse and his eyes blood shot.  
"Why should I?"  
"It's going to get real cold. It'll help." His hand shook. Her hand did when she pulled it out of her jacket. The coffee smelt fresh.  
"Do you need creamer?"  
"This is weak shit compared to what I usually drink." That earned a chuckle from him.  
"You from a military family?" He asked as he took his own coffee in his hands.  
"No, journalists." She's watched the stream escape from the holes of the lid. "It's kinda the same thing though. Getting shot at, trespassing, self-righteousness."  
"Thought your type just sat on your asses all day."  
"No, that's newscasters. Totally different." He laughed again, soft and hoarse.  
"You hungry?"  
"Why? You trying to kidnap me?" She asked only half jokingly.  
"No, too old for that shit. I got a spare plain burger though." The paper bag was placed between them. "Help yourself." She reached in the bag and grabbed the burger at the bottom.  
"What's your deal?" She asked as she unwrapped the paper and inspected. "Saw you in the waiting room. You the local creep?" His eyes fell close as he took a wavering sigh.  
"No, that's Creepy Carl. I'm the town drunk." He reached out a hand. "Herchel."  
"Lily." She grabbed his hand and shook it. "So now that we introduced ourselves. What's your deal?" Herchel took a fry from the bag.  
"Saw you in the waiting room. Figured you must be a friend of Sammy."  
"You're a friend of Sammy?" He paused and a small smirk cracked on his face.  
"I'd like to think I am."

__________________

Hours went by unnoticeably as Lily and Herchel talked. She shared the most outrageous stories of journalism and he tried to one up her with stories of being in the military. The doctors scorned at the pair was they walked by. Soon the coffees were empty and burgers and fries were gone.  
"Did Sammy ever tell you the time he passed out in the middle of his broadcasting exam?" Lily's eyes twinkled in the dark with a hint of mischief.  
"Sammy never talks about his past." Herchel watched as she explained, her hands never still. One story dove into another as she shared all the embarrassing stories she had on him. Laughter filled him like he never it would again.  
"The fact he managed to hide the fact he was gay for so long is unbelievable. This dude used to sweat so much whenever my brother would get back from rugby practice!" She doubled over in laughter.  
"Does your brother know you're here?" He asked in-between chuckles. Her eyes lost their glow instantly.  
"No, um... He's dead." Her hands wringed themselves into knots. "He was investigating this town and he..." Thoughts rolled around in her head. "With everything that happened tonight... I... This is going to sound crazy. But a small part of me is starting to believe all the crazy nonsense. That Ben kid, maybe he isn't as crazy as I wished."  
"You're just now believing?" He huffed in disbelief.  
"Everything I know is telling me not to. But Sammy... he got into a car crash with a fucking UFO! And he..." Her head rested in her hands. A sob quaked her body. "That bastard better wake up." It held no vile intent and that hurt Herchel. His hand patted her back as she cried. Lily curled into herself as her tears slowed. "God, what was in that coffee? Truth serum?" She chuckled softly.  
"The hospital has that effect. Fucking hate it." A heartier laugh fought its way through tears. "This town is crazy but this is bullshit. Hospitals already cause enough pain, why does it also act like a truth serum or something?" Her laughter echoed as Herchel flipped off the building.  
"Honestly though, biggest mood."  
"What?"  
"Nevermind." She scrubbed her face of evidence and let out a sigh. "This is the most emotion I've shown in three years."  
"Not surprised." Herch commented. "When I lost my wife, it took Cecil years to get me out of my house."  
"That must have been a challenge."  
"I was a sharpshooter, Cecil almost got concussed thousands of time from empty bottles." He could feel his eyes getting misty. "One time, he got his nephew who was starting a punk band to play outside my house. This was before the dementia started setting in." Herchel remembered that evil glee on that bastard's face as the kids played off tune in his lawn. The way laughter erupted from him as Herchel walked out in his robe ready to beat him with a newspaper. A napkin appeared in front of him.  
"Take it." She commanded softly. Hands betraying him, he took it and felt the steady tears down his face.  
"Thanks." More of a mumble than an actual word but she smiled nonetheless. The more he wiped, the more he thought of Cecil. Of how he wasn't going to be here to get him to come out on rough days. Of no more bass tournaments. Cecil was gone.  
"Is that why you were already at the hospital?" She asked placing her hand on his back. "Because of Cecil?" He nodded, words like thick slime in his mouth. She kept her hand there as he cried. There's only to other people who has seen him cry and now they're both dead. Growing old has been the toughest battle he ever faced, only to watch everyone he love die. "Hey Herchel," Lily smiled at him, "I'm glad Sammy has someone like you in his life." Something in him shattered.  
"You wanna know the real reason why I decided to come wait with you?" Lily controlled her face well but years of poker let him see past that. "I knew I would fucking kill myself tonight if I went home. I've never been in a world without Cecil and I don't want to know what it's fucking like." He watched as she calculated her words, a man on the edge is nothing to play around with.  
"I don't remember a time before my brother. He was born when I was two. Legend states that I started biting the nurses when they took him away." She blinked back tears as she continued, "He was my second half. I thought I wouldn't make it when he died. But I did live without him. It took time, but I managed."  
"I've lived! I've lived enough!" The words exploded from him. Shattered pieces of his heart stabbing in his chest with every breath.  
"And I thought so too." He wanted to argue, but that icy truth in her eyes killed any argument in him. "But Sammy needs you, especially now. He... He needs everyone who loves him. He needs to be reminded that there's love out here. And it sucks and it will suck. But you're more than Cecil's best friend. You're more than a widow. You're Sammy's and Ben's friend. And times are about to get crazy for all of us." She was breathing hard, unaware of her own shouting. Ice melted into tears. She's hated this town, but damn does she love the people. Arms reached around her and she pulled into a hug. Lily found herself returning it immediately.  
"Damn you millennial hipsters."  
"Fuck you, old man."

_________________________

Morning came and the hospital opened their doors. The new friends said farewells and Lily went upstairs to find him, only to be stopped by a nurse. "You can't go in just yet."  
"Why the hell not?" Blood boiling into blinding rage.  
"He isn't awake." The nurse ushered them into the waiting room. Once they were seated, the nurse called for the doctor. Few tense minutes passed before the doctor entered.  
"Are you Lily Wright?" She asked sticking out her hand. "I'm Dr Potfield"  
"Why can't I see him?" She spent the entire night outside, which even with good company, made her a little short tempered. The doctor cleared her throat.  
"Sammy was in a pretty awful accident, as you know. He's still alive and we are doing everything we can to make sure he stays that way. But he suffered a major blow to the head, fracturing his skull in a few places." Dr Potfield held Lily's hands in hers. "He had to be put in a medically induced coma in order to ensure survival. We don't know when or if we can wake him. His brain would cut off its own oxygen if we didn't. My team and I will be keeping a close eye on him." Lily pulled her hands away in horror. "But there is a 60% that he will survive." She kept her eyes away from the doctors. Sixty isn't failing but it sure as hell isn't hopeful. The doctor gets up. "In an hour or so, you'll get to see him. Why don't you get some rest?" She left without another word. An enternity seemed to pass before Lily kicked the table.  
"Goddamnit!" Her lips trembled. Her heart beating all too fast and not enough. Her eyes tried but they had no more tears to cry. "Goddamnit..."


End file.
